Ben Nichols

Album – The Last Pale Light in The West

Artist – Ben Nichols

Purchased From – No Idea Records

If you have never listened to the solo debut of Lucero’s Ben Nichols, do yourself a favor and check it out. Released in 2008 and inspired by the Cormac McCarthy novel “Blood Meridian”, these 7 songs find Nichols at his stripped down best showcasing that undeniable voice that, through it’s 3 packs of Marlboros and a fifth of cheap whiskey crackling, expressed as much raw emotion as anybody else you’re likely to find in modern music.

After almost two years as a CD and digital only release, Sabot Productions announced in late 2010 that the record would finally get a vinyl release. The packaging is simple and to the point, but does feature a full color inner sleeve with all new artwork. I’m not entirely sure what the pressing numbers on this are (various sources have various numbers) but this particular one is a really sturdy 180 gram black that really does the music justice. Kudos to Sabot for such a quality release of such a great album that was long overdue for a vinyl pressing.